All of these serve a purpose and are implemented to achieve a desired effect, result, or outcome.
Everyone likes to hear "job well done" or get an "at-a-boy" or "at-a-girl" for the ladies.
Doesn't it feel good to be recognized for not only putting in the time and effort but also seeing the "fruits" of your labor? I know for me it's a bonus to be recognized; however, as long as things work out the way they should...that's good enough.
How do you know if you're doing it right or not?
Isaiah 55:8-11(MSG)
8-11 "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree. "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them..."
Where do I start with this one?
I remember as a child one of my favorite "heroes" or sheroe depending on how you look at it was the Little Engine that Could. I know you're probably thinking that this is somewhat outdated; wondering what a child's book could possibly teach you today who knows "enough", about anything. After all it's for kids right?
For those who aren't familiar with the story here's a quick synopsis. A train needs to be carried over a large hill. All of the "qualified" larger engines refuse to do so and it's tasked to the smallest engine of them all. Even in the face of a difficult task the little engine agrees to try, approaching the mountain repeating to itself over and over again, "I-think-I-can. I-think-I-can. I-think-I-can."
All of my life as a child and even to this day I still "think I can". There are times however when things get extremely difficult and I might start to slightly feel that I can't...or maybe better put, I won't for whatever reason.
Because I believe in doing the best that I am able to do with my God given abilities I have often been described as ascribing to be "perfect". There was an instance where a supervisor accused me of trying to be a "perfectionist" with regards to a task that the entire company needed to go over well #blindSide When I mentioned this instance in a recent interview, the interviewer shot back, "You mean, imperfect (right?)" No, you heard me correctly. Perfect. (By the way the interviewer was a psychologist...more on that later.)
There are times that when you do things well, people assume you learned how to do it overnight or that you're trying to outshine everyone else. There's this concept of the "10,000 hour rule" which attributes success of many well known persons to having done a specific task for so long. Let's face it: If you do something for any length of time you're either going to become really good at it or fail miserably. On the flip-side there are some things that people were CREATED to do.
I was created to do excellent work. Not perfect work. Not work that puts others to shame because I want to be better than them. Excellent work worthy of being deemed excellent by God the Father himself.
#culturalContext
One last reality to mention is the fact that when you do something well, especially worthy of recognition from man...you gon' have some haters. And no matter how much people dislike you, talk about you, or discourage you just wave at them and say, "Hi..." and think to yourself, "I love my haters". If it wasn't for people who disagreed with your work ethic you might not know that you're doing a good job that deserves a hand clap.
Here's my take on how to fly high and do work that is excellent and praiseworthy according to the Father's Standard of Excellence....even non-Christians can apply this to their lives (Yaay!)
Kite of Knowledge:
- Get understanding in everything you do (Prov 4:7)
- Understanding is the beginning of wisdom. You have to understand to "be in the know".
- Be aware and informed of what you should know (Psalm 119:33)
- It's okay to not know everything about everything
- Work as if working for the Lord (Col 3:22-25)
- Non-Christians: See this as, "Working with passion and determination just as you would even if you didn't get paid b\c you LOVE it"
- Even if you don't love it, do your best!
Sumthn2Ponder (s2p):
- Does God's excellence equal perfection in our eyes?
- Is it possible to do excellent work even in the midst of failure?
- How do you measure the "quality" of your work?
In Case You Need It:
